Quick and Easy Meals for Everyone

Being a chef entails a lot of responsibilities, despite the popular notions people all over the world might have. It is a very serious profession indeed. It’s not just about donning the proper attire, nor having superb skills with just about any of the many chef supplies in the kitchen. It is about applying these superb culinary skills and matching them with chef supplies that are of the same quality. This is because you just cannot prepare a dinner of several courses without the proper chef supplies at hand, in spite of your expertise in the field of cooking. A chef has to have the appropriate cooking supplies for this endeavor.

Culinary skills have quite an expansive ground, so to speak. This is because there are so many kinds of cuisines for chefs to dabble with. There’s Mexican cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Oriental cuisine, Japanese cuisine, French cuisines, just to name a few. And to prepare such dishes, you have to be a bit acquainted with a lot of cooking supplies. Chinese cooking supplies are quite different from Oriental cooking supplies. This is true, even if they are both Eastern in nature. Mexican cooking supplies are also different from French cooking supplies. So, if you want to be a world-renowned chef, you must be familiar with the chef supplies needed for your specialty. But you are not expected to know all chef supplies in a jiff. This takes time, especially when you’re just getting acquainted with the chef supplies of a particular cuisine that is not your specialty. Going to a cooking supply shop can help you in this endeavor however.

But what about the people who are not really chefs, but are very much into the culinary arts? Yes, they can indeed be familiar with chef supplies as well. This is in spite of the fact that they do not specialize in a particular kind of cuisine. To know more about the chef supplies commonly used, here are some examples that are quite useful:

The easiest, and one of the most common gourmet cooking supplies and restaurant cooking supplies, is the knife. The knife is used in the slicing of food items, and to carve vegetables as well. There’s a certain expertise to the chef’s touch when it comes to handling the knife. This is why wielding the knife is one of things you have to learn, to become a good chef yourself.

Other chef supplies that you must be familiar with include pans, cooking dishes, stoves, and the electric appliances commonly found inside kitchens. Cooking dishes, like saucepans and stockpots, should be discerned from one another. This will help you distinguish which dish is appropriate in preparing this particular meal or course.

And if you have kids in the house, then it would also be beneficial to know the common cooking supplies for kids, as well as camping cooking skills. Knowing these can be very good for your children, especially when summer camp beckons them. Their camping experience would be enhanced if you equip them with knowledge regarding the different cooking supplies they would be using at camp.

Upon learning the different chef supplies, you should also learn how to wash them and keep them clean. There are some chef supplies that need to be washed with soap and water. There are also some that should not be washed with soap and water because this would only damage them. The proper way of cleaning such chef supplies should be learned as well.

Now that you are familiar with the basic chef supplies, you can now take a step further to becoming a chef all on your own. There are sources all over the web that can help you further in this endeavor. Just browse through them and you just might get there in time.

Chef Uniforms

Upon entering a restaurant, you would typically see their chefs clad in white. This is because white denotes hygiene. And when it comes to food, you would want hygiene to be the idea that comes across. This is indeed the reason why a lot of chef uniforms are white.

But there are some chef uniforms nowadays that come in different colors. This trend is being supported by Happy Chef Clothing as well. Yes, Happy Chef uniforms do come in different colors and different styles and trends. What’s more, Happy Chef Clothing employs big brand names in their clothing line. These brand names include Skechers, Klogs, Dickies, Dansko, and Mundial. With Happy Chef, chefs all over the world can wear colorful chef uniforms and enjoy discount chef clothing of great quality as well! Because of the growing trend of colorful chef uniforms, a lot of chef uniform companies have started creating colorful products of their own as well. And this has made a lot of chefs quite happy with the many choices available in the market already.

But in spite of the different color chef uniforms come in, the typical chef uniform actually stays the same. These culinary experts wear chef hats or head nets; something for the neck, like bandanas, scarves, Swiss ties, or bow ties; aprons or chef coats; chef pants, of course; belts, gloves, and shoes. There may be variants for these chef uniforms, but this pretty much illustrates the complete one.

But a chef uniform can never be complete without the chef’s hat, the scarf, and the apron. Now, why are these three very essential parts of the uniform? This is because these three parts play very important roles for the chef.

First off, the chef wears a hat because it denotes respect and acknowledgement to his or her craft. The hat may just be a hat, a variant of clothing apparel, but it denotes expertise. When you enter a restaurant, and you see a chef wearing a hat, you would know that that particular chef is one of the head chefs in the establishment. But for the chef himself or herself, the hat is actually used for hygienic purposes. It keeps his or her hair in place, preventing any stray hair strands from contaminating the haven of the kitchen. The chef’s hat comes in different sizes and shapes, and the selecting of which depends on the required uniform of the establishment.

Next off is the apron or the waistcoat. There are more chef uniforms bearing aprons or waistcoats, rather than designer jackets. Although designer jackets appear fancier, they are not that impractical to use when you’re in the kitchen. This is especially true during rush hour. A chef would not have the time to be concerned about the blemishes and spots his or her designer jacket would be splattered with because he or she would be too busy preparing dishes as fast as possible. So, it would really be better for chefs to wear just aprons or waistcoats, when they are in the kitchen. But when they do venture out of the kitchen, they can easily change into their good ol’ designer jackets.

But what about the scarf? Is it really necessary for a chef to have a scarf at his or her neckline? Wouldn’t that be too much of an accessory already? The scarf actually acts as a sweat blocker for the chef. Kitchens are full of blaring stoves and hot pots and pans. And chefs are constantly exposed to these high temperatures. They inevitably sweat, and these scarves or bandanas prevent their sweat from falling down onto the food they are preparing. The scarf is just not for accessory purposes, for they are also directed towards hygienic purposes as well.

Chef Hat

The chef hat is a very essential part of the whole getup chefs don. In fact, the concept of a chef hat icon is not that hard to imagine or understand. But there are more details to know about the chef hat, for it is definitely beyond the being just an accessory. And with the best chef hat info available on the web, you can definitely learn so much more about the chef hat.

So, let’s delve a bit into the history of the chef hat. It has long been established that the chef hat has been used way beyond in time. In fact, there are even records of the chefs in Iran way back in the B.C. period using chef hats already! Yes, the chef hat has indeed been used way back then. Although at that time, the reasons as to the chef hat being worn might differ from today’s reasons; you still cannot discount the fact that the chef hat has indeed been part of the chef uniform at that time already. There may also be significant differences in terms of chef hat patterns, designs, shapes, sizes, and such.

Despite these differences, one common practice has gone on through the years as well. The higher your rank as a chef is, the more pleats your chef hat would have. In the past, the pleats could go up to a hundred! Nowadays, though, you will not be seeing these hundred pleats on the head chef’s hat. But the head chef would still have the most number of pleats on his hat, as compared to the other chef hats in the establishment.

But what is the origin of the chef hat? Is there one particular country that started the use of the chef hat? This is a tricky question to answer because there are a lot of countries claiming that the use of the chef hat originated from them. But out of the many theories, there is one particular theory that has stuck out from the rest of them. This is because the theory is quite feasible back at that day and age.

It is theorized that it was in France that the chef hat was first used. This was during the reign of Henry VIII. During one of the meals back then, the King was unfortunately served a dish that had a strand of hair in it. The King was so horrified at the prospect that he had the owner of that hair strand beheaded immediately. This is quite an exaggerated reaction nowadays for a lawsuit would suffice already. But at that time, this reaction was quite normal, especially when it came from the Royal family. After the beheading, the King ordered the rest of his kitchen staff and crew to wear chef hat all the time. Thus, the origin of the French chef hat, the toque.

These days, you don’t really have to be a chef in order to wear the chef hat. In fact, even children can wear chef hats nowadays! And children just love the paper chef hats that they can wear during parties and family gatherings. If you’re thinking of holding a children’s party, well, chef hats would make great giveaways as well! The chef hats will indeed make the party more enjoyable for them. What’s more, you can have these chef hats personalized, and have fun designs made for them! And if you have an aspiring chef in the family, that same uncle who prepares the barbecue every family gathering, then you can also give him a personalized chef hat of his own. This would give that extra touch to the usual cooking he does every year.

Yes, chef hats have certainly come a long way in history. And they are being worn beyond the profession already. This goes to show that the chef hat has indeed captured the fancy of a lot of people worldwide.

Types Of Culinary Programs

Every healthy person loves to eat. From appetizers, to main dishes, and to sweets and desserts, there is no one that does not love to crave for something that he/she loves to eat. Of the variety of foods to choose from, there are actually different types of chefs that cater to every type of meal prepared. There are those whose specialty is for desserts, while there are some that are masters in preparing sumptuous main courses. That is basically the reason why, with all the many culinary schools worldwide, there are actually varied types of culinary programs.

One of the many types of culinary programs are the executive chef or the Chef de Cuisine programs. These programs are intended for the aspiring executive chefs who have the passion not only to cook and prepare meals for the clients, but also have the knowledge about management and a bit of accounting. This is practically because a Chef de
Cuisine is the over-all head in the kitchen. From the menu preparation to the budgeting, to creating newer menus for the clients, no doubt this culinary program is one of the most challenging but fulfilling types of culinary programs.

Another types of culinary arts programs are the programs for the sous chef. The sous chef is considered the right hand of the executive chef or the chef de cuisine of the kitchen. They are considered to be the main people on the kitchen floor because seldom is the executive chef seen on kitchen itself. There is actually a slight different between the executive chef from the sous chef. While the executive chef or the chef de cuisine prepares with the operation and the administrative function of the kitchen that includes the budgeting, the sous chef is more focused solely on the preparation of meals only.

The Garde manger is also another types of college culinary arts program that is also as important as the executive chef and the sous chef. While the sous chef takes care to every detail during the meal preparation, the garde manger is the one who does the presentation of the food. Not all hotels and restaurants have the presence of a garde manger but in five star restaurants, their presence is highly visible. It is the responsibility of the garde manger to create inviting and enticing table settings and food presentations. These applications practically apply on long tables and buffets on the restaurants of posh hotels. Aside from the presentation, the garde manger should also be creative in designing table presentations that are edible. Some of these are made from ice, from dough, and the likes. However, in not so classy restaurants but still have the best services offered, instead of the help of the garde mangers, the pastry chefs are the ones that handle the presentations for buffets. Since they are the ones trained to prepare desserts as well as table and food arrangements, the pastry chefs are also as effective and efficient as the garde mangers seen in high-end restaurants.
Sommelier programs are also fast rising these days because of the higher demands for this profession. The sommeliers are practically the ones who are masters in the field of wines. The said sommelier programs aim to train the aspiring sommeliers to learn everything there is to know about wines. Wines play a very important role in every meal. A particular meal has a corresponding wine that can blend well with it. Becoming a sommelier is not that easy at all but then, learning to be one can be quite fun and fulfilling.

There are actually a lot of types of culinary programs offered from different culinary schools worldwide. If you wish to become a master of your own, try to visit websites from particular culinary schools. There is really a lot of things to offer. If one of your main concerns is how long is the culinary program could take, you are given the option to choose between the associate degree programs and the bachelor’s degree programs.

With the many programs to choose from, along with the varied schools worldwide, becoming a master of your chosen craft has never been that fulfilling. Learn more about it before you finally enroll into a certain culinary arts program.

Master Chef Jobs

There are a lot of reasons why one loves to go from one restaurant to another. The ambience, and services, and of course the food are what most clients are after when going to a classy restaurant. That is why, an excellent master chef is very much important for a restaurant to be successful.

The master chef jobs are not very easy at all. In fact, not everyone is fortunate enough to receive a citation as a Certified Master Chef. For the ordinary people, a master chef is casually applied to someone that is simply a master in cooking. But this is not actually a very accurate description. Most people do not really realize that master chefs are actual professional classifications, along with the lines of certified engineers and certified public accountants. To become master chefs, one has to achieve the highest levels of certification that is possible in the world of American Culinary Arts. Those who are qualified enough are then given the master chef certification, the highest distinction in the American culinary arts industry. Master chef jobs are actually very challenging, which practically explains why only less than a hundred people all across the United States are considered a master chef.

Generally, the only known organization capable enough on awarding a Certified Master Chef certification is the prestigious American Culinary Federation. Established early in the nineteen-eighties, the master chef program that primarily deals with the many master chef jobs, encourage a number of chefs to diligently strive for excellence while at the same time improve the American chefs’ image all across the globe. To pass the said certification program, aspiring chefs endure very rigorous eight-day-long practical exams that primarily test the abilities of the chefs, particularly on his culinary knowledge. The topics that are covered on the tests include the proper use of the different ingredients, the techniques and the skills used by the chef, presentation, sanitation, safety, and finally, timing of the service.

Once the chef has fully completed all the classes and the coursed of the Certified Master Chef programs, a final test has to be passed before finally getting the said certification. The test costs about three thousand dollars and the moment that you sign up, you are obliged to attend the said final exams. These exams have only two testing centers. One is in the Culinary Institute of America New York Campus, and the other one in its California Campus. It is advised that if you wish to have a Certified Master Chef certification, start by enrolling a degree in culinary arts. A lot of aspiring chefs actually start with the basic associate degree programs, but there are actually some the go for the bachelor’s degree instead.

So what are the qualifications towards becoming a certified master chef? One must have a fir, foundation and experience in the world of culinary arts, and that also includes the advanced practical skills in culinary. Another factor is that one should have a strong and creative drive and passion to work with food in the best artistic way possible. Aside from the passion and the desire for the culinary art profession, one should be able to pay the very expensive amount of almost six thousand dollars to fully complete a certification for a master chef. This amount is inclusive of the travel expenses, as well all the materials to be used in the certified master chefs program course.

A restaurant practically relies on how good and creative a master chef is. That is why, the salary of those certified master chefs ranges from forty to seventy-five thousand dollars annually.

If you are a chef and desires to have a certification from the American Culinary Foundation, then enroll into the Certified master chefs program. Though it is very expensive, it can truly give you the key towards working for five-star hotels and restaurants. After, that is what every chef dreams of, right?

Pastry Chef Jobs

There are a number of chef positions found in larger hotels, in first class restaurants and some other establishments. The highest in position is the Chef de Cuisine, with its responsibility of conceiving menu dishes and choosing food directions. Next to the Chef de Cuisine, the executive chef creates the recipes, controls the costs, and performs the administrative tasks of the kitchen. Meanwhile, for smaller operations, the head chef is similar with the Chef de Cuisine. Next to him, the sous chef sees to it that all the food meets the highest standards with timely delivery. Of the many people and types of chef present in the kitchen, the pasty chef is perhaps one of the key players, reporting only directly to the executive chef or the sous chef. Pastry chef jobs are considered essential in restaurants, in bistros, in larger hotels, in casinos and in bakeries. Pastry chef jobs are actually one of the top jobs present in any kitchen.

The pastry section or the pastry kitchen is typically separate from the very main kitchen of a restaurant. The station chef, or called the pastry chef in professional kitchens, are basically highly skilled in creating pastries and desserts and some other baked goods. Pastry chef jobs can somewhat be challenging and tiring, but then being a pastry chef, especially on first class restaurants, means having a number of assistants to assist and help him during the course of the dessert preparations. Aside from that, a pasty chef is also responsible in developing new and interesting recipes and then testing these recipes for further enhancements. Though a pastry chef does not normally plate his/her desserts, these desserts are mostly prepared in advance.

Other duties of pastry chef also include a number of things. His common work activities often include meeting with the other chef in a restaurant to carefully discuss menu planning as well as pairing of desserts along with the entrée and the appetizer solutions. Because the menu of a particular restaurant varies from one day to another, it is important that the pastry chef should coordinate with the other chefs of the restaurant so he could at least have an idea on what dessert to prepare that can go well with the main courses of the meals. The pastry chef is also responsible in testing and evaluating for new pastries as well as with some other dessert recipes. And because the pastry chef himself is the one that is aware of the basic necessities of the pastry kitchen, he is also the one that orders the supplies for to be used for the dessert preparations. There are various places and people that a pastry chef deals; from the fruit vendors to the grocery stores even directly to the fruit growers. With regards to budgeting, the pastry chef coordinates with the Chef de Cuisine so that proper budget is given to the pastry kitchen department. Actually, the pastry chef is the “chef de cuisine” of his own assignment, that is, in the pastry kitchen.

It is not a surprising to see these days a fast-increase of cooking students, particularly those who are interested with pastry and dessert preparations. That is why; there are a lot of pastry chef schools that are present worldwide. Most of these courses are short-term courses, though there are some schools that offer associate and bachelor degree programs. Because of the fact that culinary schools are somewhat expensive, some students cannot afford to enroll themselves into a pastry chef school. However, there are actually some schools that offer scholarship programs to those deserving students. If you are one of the very many that has the passion to create desserts, then try visiting websites of culinary schools for you to learn about what the school has to offer.

Pastry chefs are indeed very important in a restaurant for those yummy and sumptuous desserts. After all, a meal is never complete without a piece of dessert, right?

Executive Chef Jobs

In a posh hotel or restaurant, food is one of the many things that should be properly attended to. It is very important to have the most sumptuous meals for the guests. Executive chefs are basically the people behind a successful meal for the guests. However, these chefs have a number of things to attend to, aside from the fact that they have to provide the guests with the best meals. So what is an executive chef? The executive chef is often call the ‘chef de cuisine’, and is the sole responsible for running any forms of food preparation around a kitchen. Also, a very important role of an executive chef is proper management. He should see to it that he is not only equipped with the best culinary skills, but also the proper management attitude. Executive chefs are employed by hotels, large restaurants, private country clubs, and cruise lines.

There are many executive chef jobs available in big plushy restaurants or hotels. The executive chef is basically the one responsible in assigning different responsibilities among a number of kitchen staff to properly ensure that efficiency is evident on the food preparation. Aside from overseeing every detail of all the food production, executive chef jobs also include management of the food and the cooking preparations, making sure the highest standards of food quality are met. The executive chef can also cook food either regularly or for some special functions. He is also the main planner of the menu, while making a point that new recipes are introduced occasionally. Executive chef jobs also include the preparation of the budget as well as the projections of the annual labor and food costs. Likewise, the trainings of the kitchen staff in order to ensure that the food being prepared falls within the budget, is done by the head of the kitchen. The executive chef is also the one that performs regular inventories of the food supplies as well as the food equipments. Finally, it is also the responsibility of the executive chef to meet the standards of sanitations as well as the safety laws.

Having mentioned the many executive chef jobs, it is evident that an executive chef does only minimal amounts of cooking because of the many things that he has to attend to in the kitchen. However, this doesn’t mean to say that the executive chef must give up his passion for food. Instead of filling a number of dinner orders, the executive chef is basically more on the artistic and the creative side of food preparation. It is the responsibility of the executive chef to come up with new and interesting menu items. He must be trendy with regards to the food service industry, while keeping his menu appealing and fresh to a restaurant’s clientele. The more resourceful and innovative the executive chef is, the more clients are drawn to a restaurant. Basically, the success of a particular restaurant lies from the creativity and the ingenuity of the executive chef.

There are a lot of traits that an executive chef must have to keep a restaurant working successfully. First of all, an executive chef must be a certified culinary arts degree holder. He should also be well experienced in the kitchen environment. Likewise, he must have the best human resource and management skills such as the ability to properly recruit and then train employees. At least, an executive chef should have a background in accounting, and that he must have right time management skills, communication skills, and finally leadership skills.

An executive chef is really important towards having a restaurant running successfully and smoothly. Though you seldom see them on the course of your dining on different restaurants, the food and the services alone that they exude are enough to complete your day.

Commis Chef Jobs

There is a fast increase of demands for chefs worldwide. Be it from five-star hotels of high-end restaurants, the services of a chef are very much essential. Aside from the presence of the executive chef, the sous chef, or any other chefs in the kitchen, a commis chef is very important also. Commis chef jobs often include being a kitchen assistant, handling different parts of the kitchen. Basically, a commise chef is considered the primary assistant of the executive or the sous chef. In larger restaurants or kitchen, the commis chef jobs are divided into categories. There are those that are assigned in a particular station doing specific jobs. The pastry and the larder are practically the most basic locations.

Basically, a commis chef meaning is that this is the chef that is considered kitchen assistants or even kitchen porters. Another commis chef definition is that this is the chef that is considered an apprentice chef. Commis chefs learn about the different sections of a particular kitchen in full detail. Normally, the commis chef jobs take about three to six months in every part and sections of the restaurant’s kitchen. Once the specific part of the kitchen has been properly learned, another part as assigned to the commis chef. Food preparations is very much important towards attaining a safe restaurant so basically, a commis chef should also be functional in terms of safety and sanitation.

There are basically a lot of hotels that are looking for potential commis chefs to be a part of their team. Some of the qualifications needed in order to be a commis chef is that he should be able to deal well with time pressure, plus the fact that he has to have a very keen interest, as far as food preparation is concerned. He should also be a multi-tasker, meaning, that he must be able to do several things simultaneously, while still enjoying being part of the team. The position of being a commis chef can easily be obtained via college and apprenticeships.

There are actually a lot of establishments today that are looking for commis chefs. However, an aspiring commiss chef should not only be passionate in the world of culinary arts but also, he must posses desires in joining the hospitality industry. A commis chef position is actually very helpful, especially for those aspiring chefs who already has earned an associate degree but still wants to pursue having a bachelor’s degree. Obtaining a bachelor’s degree of culinary arts can be time consuming, and not to mention very expensive. That is why; for those who still want to pursue a bachelor’s degree but do not have enough financial aid, joining a team of culinary experts as a commis chef might just be a great help. There are actually a lot of hotels and restaurants that offer scholarships to deserving commis chefs to further develop their passion for the culinary industry. Aside from that, it is also an advantage of the commis chef to be able to learn and expose himself to the real world of culinary arts, despite the fact that he is not yet a degree holder for food preparations.

A commis chef also has the chance to learn a lot from the different chefs of the kitchen, like the executive chef, the sous chef, or even the master chef. So long as the commis chef is passionate and dedicated with his career, then the apprenticeship might just be steeping stone for him to be able to have that Certificate of Master Chef in due time.

Getting into the world of the culinary industry is not as easy as everybody thought it is. However, with great passion and diligence, along with a proper disposition, being a commis chef, or for that matter, an executive chef, is always a very fulfilling profession, considering that it can greatly provide sumptuous meals for everybody.

Sous Chef Jobs

Everything on the operations of a successful restaurant is teamwork. The main person in-charge of the kitchen is the executive chef. But the executive chef cannot do the job alone without the aid of a team of dedicated culinary artists. As part of the team, the second highest in rank next to the executive chef, is the sous chef. So what is a sous chef? The term ‘sous’ actually comes from a French word that means ‘under’. A sous chef is basically the second in rank, just below a restaurant’s executive chef. One of the many sous chef jobs is to directly take charge of the daily productions of the kitchen. Since the executive chef is practically on his office attending to issues that are related to the business while at the same time thinking of long-term plans for the restaurant, a sous chef generally is the one that is given the responsibility to keep the kitchen work effectively and efficiently. A sous chef generally has to have many years in kitchen practices as a tourmant or what is called a swing cook, so that he or she will not have a hard time keeping a more organized kitchen.

Another sous chef jobs very important for any kitchen or restaurant is that they are the ones that are responsible in supervising the whole of the kitchen staff while at the same time cooking and preparing the meals to order. A sous chef should also be adept in demonstrating varied cooking techniques as well as the proper usage of equipments, to the members of the kitchen staff. Though the executive chef is primarily the one who takes care of the menu, there are some instances that the sous chef does this responsibility. Aside from menu planning, sous chef jobs often include ordering for kitchen and food supplies for the restaurant.

Aside from the above-mentioned jobs for the sosus chef, these executive chef’s right hand also serve as the restaurant’s expeditor, meaning, they are the ones that serve as liaisons between the customers of the restaurant and its cooks. They are the ones that deal with every complaint that are mostly concerned with the food quality. Likewise, they also take charge of coordination of cooking so that the waiters deliver the food to the clients in timely fashions, serving the guests in an organized manner.

Occasionally, the sous chef shares some of its duties with the main executive chef such as the ordering and the menu planning. Should unexpected things happen to the executive chef, the sous chef takes over the main responsibilities of the head of the kitchen. There are some large kitchens and restaurants that hire a number of sous chefs with respective areas of responsibility. Some sous chefs are hired for a morning shift to basically oversee the food preparations, while the ones hired for the evening shift assigned to properly manage the cooking.

There are some characteristics that one must have in order for him/her to be able to deal with the many sous chef jobs. The first qualification is the number of years of experience a chef has worked for in a kitchen. Formal education and certification in the filed of culinary arts is also very important. A good communication skill is also very useful. Likewise, a sous chef should be able to work for longer hours and that includes evenings, holidays, and weekends. It is also important that a sous chef should also have a little background about staff management as well as with accounting because who knows; he might unexpectedly take place of the executive chef. His leadership skills also play an important role.

A sous chef is very much important towards having a restaurant running smoothly. In fact, because of its role, a sous chef salary can range from twenty-five to sixty-five thousand dollars annually.

Next to the executive chef, sous chefs make up a successful kitchen, together with some dedicated kitchen staff. That is why; we should be thankful for them because without their effort and their dedications, sumptuous meals could not be served for your fine dining pleasures, right?

Personal Chef Jobs

The filed of culinary arts has greatly expanded over the years. In fact, because of the great increase of people who are very much passionate about culinary arts, a lot of culinary schools are opened worldwide. Presently, the demand for chefs is no longer limited for restaurants, hotels, and some other business establishments. It is very evident these days that some households have a personal chef. The ones that mostly hire a personal chef are the wealthy families, primarily because they want to have someone to cook sumptuous and delicious meals for them, right at the comfort of their homes. This can be quite expensive but if you have the budget, isn’t it just great to hire someone that can personally prepare delicious snacks and meals for you?

Most personal chef recipes are often created to suit to the taste of the homeowners. Personal chefs are practically the ones that buy all the necessary ingredients to be used for the meals. They are usually given expense accounts for the ingredients to be used for the meals. Oftentimes, the food is just prepared ahead of time and then refrigerated or frozen, so that when the homeowner is about to eat, what the chef does is just to easily heat up his prepared food. However, there are also some homeowners that want to have their food fresh so basically, it is up to the owner and the personal chef to come up with an agreement that is suitable to both parties.

If you have the passion and the heart to become a personal chef, perhaps it is necessary for you to be aware of the basic personal chef jobs. It is your responsibility to come up with meals that are suitable for the homeowners. Personal chef jobs also include budgeting properly for the budget assigned for the meal preparation. After you are aware with the personal chef jobs, you should also consider your culinary arts background. It doesn’t mean to say that just because you will be preparing meals for homeowners, you will not have a certificate or a degree of culinary arts. However, keeping a certificate is not actually that important for some families, but those wealthy and powerful families often seek private chefs that possess the best cooking educations and the proper culinary experiences. Beyond that, everything is actually up to you on how you market yourself to some potential customers.

On the other hand, if you are someone who wishes to consider hiring a personal chef, there are certain things that you have to be concerned about. You can actually find a lot of personal chef service offers across the Internet but still, consider some practical things before you finally hire a personal chef for your family. The first thing to consider is the experience of the potential personal chef. Know if the chef has a degree or certificate in culinary arts. Also, it is important that you are aware of the types of foods that a particular chef specializes. Be sure that it matches with your family’s tastes. The standards of hygiene of the potential chef are also very crucial. Ask where the food is prepared, and how sanitized and safe are his methods for food storage. Safety and sanitation is very vital before hiring a personal chef. If you are having a hard time finding the right one, there are some agencies that can help you with your concerns of finding the right personal chef for you. You can try to visit these agencies for you to further scrutinize a potential personal chef. Or better yet, ask your close friends if they know someone who are reliable enough to make as your personal chef. That way, you can be assured of hiring a chef that is safe and efficient enough for the job.

Indulge yourself with the pleasures of having a personal chef at the comforts of your home. After all, nothing beats spending some time with your family over a feast of sumptuous and delicious meals, right?

Garde Manger Jobs

Perhaps one of the most important jobs on the restaurant’s floor is the Garde Manger Jobs. Of the many responsibilities needed to keep a restaurant working well, the Garde Manger jobs are said to be very vital because they deal with food presentations. But what is really a garde manger? How important are the garde manger jobs? Garde Manger actually is derived from a French term that means ‘keeping to eat’ and ‘keeper of the food. The main Garde Manger jobs is to prepare and present cold foods like the salads, the hors d’ oeuvres, cold soups, the aspics, and the charcuterie. In larger hotel and restaurants, larger numbers of garden mangers are needed for additional jobs like adding some decorative elements for a buffer presentation. A garde manger chef is also responsible for designing interesting table arrangements and making edible centerpieces. These centerpieces are usually made from cheese, ice, butter, salt dough, or even tallow. These days, modern kitchens the garde manger is somewhat synonymous with the pantry chef, focusing on soups, salads, cold food items, and the dessert platings.

History Of Garde Manger

The French term “garde manger” originated during the pre-revolution era of France. During that time, keeping an ample food supply was considered a symbol of authority, power, prestige, and wealth. Most noble families that time have their own household steward that basically manages the cold store room of the family. A steward then was always referred as an “officer de bouche”. This title was then replaced with the present term, ‘garde manger’. The said position was considered very much important because most of the food that is for storage are pickled, butchered, cured, salted and smoked during the season of fall, thus making the food able to be stored for a number of months. It is because of the duty of preserving foods and managing how these foods are utilized that can interpret the French term ‘garde manger’ meaning ‘keeping to eat’.

Most of the areas for food storage in castles as well as in manor houses are normally located on the lower levels because basements have cooler environments, making them just right for storing food. Over the years, these areas have developed into the more modern cold kitchen we find these days.

Most of the merchants that work outside noble manors are closely associated with its specific guild. This guild is actually an association of some people that share the same trade. These guilds then started to develop training programs aimed for its members to preserve their skills and their knowledge about garde manger. Charcuterie is was one of the very first guilds created. This is the particular guild that prepared and then sold cooked items that are made mostly from pigs. It was thru this guild or organization where preparation of bacons, hams, pates, sausages, as well as terrines were already preserved. However, when the organization was abolished during the French Revolution in 1791, local garde mangers took on all the responsibility that was performed before by the characutierers, but had a really hard time competing those versatile garde mangers because of the limited skills ordinary garde mangers have.

Presently, garde mangers are one of the fastest in-demand professions in the hotel and restaurant management industry. It is not surprising there is a number of students that study the garde mangers jobs in many culinary schools worldwide. Garde mangers are indeed very important towards having a table preparation and setting that is presentable and inviting enough. Remember that it is not only the food that makes up a good restaurant, but also the presentation of these foods matter a lot. After all, isn’t it inviting enough to see a table full of unique and exciting table decorations?

Sommelier Jobs

Restaurants across the world, most importantly the high-end and the five star restaurants, not only offer their clients the best and the most sumptuous foods, but also the most interesting wines that go well with the meals. Every fine restaurant has a sommelier. A sommelier is basically a trained expert in almost all the facets of wine services. Most fine-dining establishments often employ at least a sommelier while the more prestigious restaurants and five-star hotels find it necessary to hire a master sommelier.

Sommelier jobs often include responsibilities for making wine lists, while managing wine storages and purchasing. Likewise, sommelier jobs are also properly coordinating with the executive chef so that a sommelier will know what wines to use that complete the menu of the restaurant. That is why; sommelier jobs are considered equal to the executive chef jobs as far as the development of new tastes and culinary diversities of the restaurant is concerned.

A wine sommelier is also the one that is responsible for spending some time on the restaurant’s floor to interact with its clients. In fact, the best sommeliers are already trained to suggest wines that fall within the budget of the clients, while at the same time, match the clients’ food that has been ordered. One should not confuse a sommelier from a wine waiter because the waiters are not trained to become experts in the wine preparations. If you are asking on how to become a sommelier, there are actually two major factors that need to be considered. The first thing is that, one should have a very great sense of smell and taste. The next factor is that one should have a working knowledge and background in food chemistry.

It is actually a bit difficult when becoming a sommelier because it generally require much study and is somehow quite expensive. There are some sommeliers that obtain the said position based on the extensive work that they have experienced from the wine industry. Though they do not have proper training in wine preparation, they have the “natural instinct” for most wines, thus making them experts on the field of wines. However, most of the professional sommeliers have studied and earned degrees of wine preparations. In fact, aside from the degrees, there is what is called a Master Sommelier certification program that is offered by the Court of Master Sommeliers. This sommelier certification involves aspiring sommeliers taking introductory courses before taking lower level exams. From this point, a sommelier certification is already issued. This is actually the point where most students stop. However, there are some that really aim taking the next level, the more advanced courses that will eventually lead to the distinctive Master Sommelier Exams. The final exams actually consist of three core sections. The student is first tested on his abilities of recommending and discussing wines, liqueurs, and cigars. After doing that, the student is then obliged to discuss the different wine regions as well as its corresponding laws. It is also during the second stage where the student is asked to explain about the history of wine and how these wines are made. Finally, on the third stage, it is called the taste test. This particular test aims in testing how a student accurately identifies several types of wines. Aside from that, the student should also be able to identify the origin of the wine, as well as it vintage and it region.

Currently, there are more than a hundred master sommeliers all across the globe. Sommeliers are indeed very helpful in a restaurant. Aside from the fact that they can help the clients identify the types of wines that can go well with a certain meal, there are some sommeliers that give some details about wines to its clients. Not only sommeliers are masters of their own profession, but also they are great ones whom you can learn something from, during your dining out pleasures.